David Aliu
David Aliu (born 13 March 1981) is a British retired professional basketball player. He last played for Cheshire Phoenix in the British Basketball League. Aliu was part of the Mersey Tigers' treble-winning 2010/11 team, and in November 2011, became the Tigers' record points scorer in the BBL.[1]
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 March 1981 Liverpool, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Listed height | 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Notre Dame Academy (Middleburg, Virginia) |
| College | Minnesota State–Moorhead (2000–2004) |
| NBA draft | 2004 / Undrafted |
| Playing career | 2004–2016 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 11 |
| Career history | |
| 2004 | Scottish Rocks |
| 2005 | Tindastóll |
| 2005–2006 | Hamar/Selfoss |
| 2006–2007 | Leicester Riders |
| 2006–2007 | Þór Þorlákshöfn |
| 2007 | Celso Míguez Procolor |
| 2007–2008 | Everton Tigers |
| 2008–2009 | Lausanne |
| 2010–2012 | Mersey Tigers |
| 2012–2014 | Manchester Giants |
| 2014–2016 | Cheshire Phoenix |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life and career
Born in Liverpool, England, Aliu started playing basketball at the age of 14 in his home town of Liverpool, playing for local side Toxteth Tigers. He landed a scholarship in the USA, playing at the Notre Dame Academy in Virginia, before moving on to and graduating from Moorhead State University (now Minnesota State University Moorhead) in 2004.[2]
Professional career
The power forward made his British Basketball League debut on 01/10/2004 playing for Scottish Rocks against Newcastle Eagles, and he went on to make 11 appearances for the Rocks, averaging 6.27 PPG.
He then moved on to play for three teams in the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild karla - Tindastóll (15.7 ppg and 5.0 rpg), Hamar/Selfoss (20.7 ppg and 8.9 rpg) and Þór Þorlákshöfn (23.6 ppg and 9.5 rpg) - from 2005 to 2007, with a short spell at Leicester Riders in the BBL in the middle.
After a brief spell with Celso Míguez Procolor in Spain, Aliu returned to his home city to play for the new professional franchise, Everton Tigers.
He averaged 15.8 points per game in 33 appearances for the Tigers, before leaving to play for BBC Lausanne in Switzerland. He took a year out of the sport following the birth of his daughter, but returned to the re-branded Mersey Tigers for the 2010/11 season. Aliu won the BBL Championship, BBL Trophy and BBL play-off titles, playing alongside Great Britain players Andrew Sullivan and Nate Reinking, in a very successful season.
In August 2011, Aliu signed a new two-year deal with the Tigers to keep him at the club until the end of the 2012/13 season.[3]
In September 2012, Aliu signed with a contract with the Manchester Giants.[4]
In June 2014, Aliu signed a two-year contract with the Cheshire Phoenix. On 20 July 2016 Aliu retired from basketball.[5][6]
Other Notes
Aliu was the first person to score a basket at the ECHO Arena in Liverpool.[7]
References
- "Basketball: Mersey Tigers captain David Aliu racks up 1000 BBL points". Liverpool Echo. 16 December 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- Dave Powell (20 August 2015). "The unlikely career path paved with success for Cheshire Phoenix star David Aliu". Cheshire Live. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- "David Aliu signs new two year deal with Mersey Tigers". Liverpool Echo. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- "David Aliu signs for Manchester Giants". davidaliu.com. 16 September 2012. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- Gains, Bradley (20 July 2016). "David Aliu Retires from Professional Basketball". Hoopsfix.com. Retrieved 26 July 2016.
- "David Aliu announces retirement from professional basketball". Cheshire Phoenix. 20 July 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2020.
- Powell, Dave (4 June 2014). "Nix add league legend Aliu to roster". The Chester Chronicle. Retrieved 22 August 2015.